Blacklisted
by Acen Warren Halliwell
Summary: Lizzie's always wondered what her connection to Red was and after he gets captured, she just might. But after one's revealed, every agency secret starts spilling out. What lies ahead for Liz, Red, and the entire FBI when one secret threatens not just the agency, but the world? Rated T for minor sex scenes and language. The name is subject to change, so beware.
1. Don Quiente (No 136)

**A.N. I just thought that I'd give a basic overview of this whole thing. This happens in an alternate ending to "Monarch Douglas Bank", the latest episode of Season 2; so I'd suggest seeing it if you haven't already because I'm only doing a specific part and I don't feel like going over the entire thing. The main "O.C." is really Naomi, Red's ex-wife. Of course, there's going to be some Lizzington in here. Any constructive criticism is greatly appreciated. The chapters are going to be like the show in the sense that it's mainly focused on a criminal on The Blacklist. And sorry about last night with the chapter, I wasn't able to put it up, but it's up now, so enjoy!**

* * *

(No one's POV)

"There has to be another way, Red. If you do this, then innocent lives will be lost and I don't want to be a part of that!" Lizzie screamed into the phone and at Red.

"I need to get my wife back Lizzie."

"Red, don't do this. If you go, you'll die; he **will **kill you." Liz said.

"I have to, Lizzie; if not, my wife will die."

"I'm sorry."

"You're not sorry... not yet anyway; you may not understand why she's so important now because you're just doing your job, but eventually, you'll learn. Wish me luck." Red hung up the phone and turned to Dembe, "Let's go, Dembe; we're getting my wife back." Red turned and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.

…

Red's car pulled up and so did another, the two facing each other. Berlin and two of his men exited at the same time Red and Dembe did.

"The code?" Berlin asked.

Red took out a sheet of paper and one of his men approached with a laptop disguised as a briefcase. He reached for the slip, when Red retracted his hand. "Where's my wife?"

Berlin said something in Russian to the man closest to the car and the door opened, shortly before a brunette with a green dress, her hands bound behind her back and a blindfold covering her eyes emerged. Berlin turned to Red, who was staring at his wife. "Raymond!" Red suddenly snapped out of his daze and handed Berlin's man the access code. He put the code in and Berlin's account started to go from thousands of dollars to millions. The man turned to his boss and nodded once. The guy holding Red's wife aggressively pushed her and she fell to the ground.

"Be careful with Naomi, Berlin!" Red yelled.

"Ra-Ray?" Naomi asked, picking her head up and looking in his direction. "Is that you?"

"Give Raymond his payment." Berlin ordered. The lackey that pushed her down followed Berlin's orders and, with his help, Naomi hobbled over to her ex-husband. Red, too stunned for words, simply stared with mixed emotions bouncing around in his chest; guilt being the main one. Tears welled up in his eyes and, after tearing his eyes away from Naomi, said, "Alright, you kept up your end, I kept up mine. That's it."

Berlin and his people got in their car and pulled off.

"Ray, it is you! Remove my blindfold! Remove it now!" He started to undo the bondage around her wrists. "I said remove the damn blindfold, Red! I need to see you."

"I-I-I…" Red stuttered before being shot in the neck with a tranquilizer dart. Naomi, now free, ripped off the blindfold to see Red going down.

"Ray!" She screamed. Dembe looked around before being shot in the neck as well. "Dembe!" She yelled, turning around. Dembe collapsed on the ground and Naomi began to panic. She ran to the car and hopped in the driver's seat. She sped off, her foot pushing harder and harder on the gas despite how much pain was coursing through her body, leaving the unconscious Red and Dembe behind.

* * *

(Liz's POV)

I was stuck at work, worried sick about Red, who's been gone for hours! He's our most valuable asset and he decided to save his ex-wife, but what's one life compared to thousands? If Berlin got the money back, then he'd practically try to destroy the world and the rest of the Strike Force would be first on his list; my god, Red, you're such an idiot for doing that! I was pacing around the room with Ressler and Harold around me.

"Lizzie, relax; I'm sure he's fine." Ressler tried to comfort.

"How do you know that? He's with that psychopath Berlin; anything could've happened to him! I warned him not to go!"

"But he went anyway."

"He's my responsibility, Ressler." I said, "If anything happens to him, I'm held responsible for it." I then heard the phone ring and I picked it up almost instantly. "Red, is that you?"

There was what sounded like panting on the other line. "Please, Ms. Keen, I need your help. Please help me!" The voice was feminine and definitely not Red, but I didn't recognize the voice.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"No, no, no, no, no!" I heard the girl yelling, "Meet me at 250 Conland Street in an hour; I'll be in a 2013 black Camaro!"

"But wait, I still don't-." The line went dead and I hung up the phone. Harold and Ressler looked at me; I had some questions on my mind and maybe this meeting could answer them: who was that woman, why'd she come to me and where the hell was Red? "I gotta go." I said, as I walked away from my boss and partner to exit the room to get ready for my meeting.

…

My car stopped outside the building where a black Camaro was parked across the street. I got out of my car and crossed the street to the other one, where the window was rolled down and a girl sat inside with a brown overcoat, dark shades and a slick black bob. "FBI Agent Elizabeth Keen, did you call me an hour ago?" I asked.

The woman turned to me and took off her shades. I noticed one of her fingers were missing, but said nothing. "You need to help me."

"You mentioned that on the phone, but I don't know who you are or why you need help. And can we hurry this up, I need to find someone?"

"My name's Naomi Hyland." She answered.

"Red's ex-wife?"

Naomi looks around quickly before nodding and taking off her glasses in the process. "Get in," She whispered, "we need to go."

I followed and we drove off. "So Naomi, what happened to you? Why'd you call me?"

"I called because I need your help to find my ex-husband and his friend. They traded me for some access code."

"That son of a bitch! He actually gave back Berlin's money."

"So I kept on telling Red to take my blindfold off and right when I was able to, he was shot with a tranquillizer dart. His friend was too and I knew that I was gonna be next, so I got in Red's car and drove away as fast as I could."

"Well, where'd you go? And how'd you get my number?"

"I went to Red's apartment after and just found your number on speed dial. I called it and realized that it was linked to the FBI, so you were clearly an agent there. I asked for your help and here we are."

"What do you expect us to do?" I asked.

"Find Red and Dembe."

"We don't even know where they took him; I was the last person to have contact with him and that was nearly 5 hours ago."

"Well, I need you guys to do something because I can't-." Naomi and I screamed as the car was flipped over. My head smashed against the windshield and my vision instantly went dark.

* * *

(Red's POV)

I groaned and sat up, seeing nothing but darkness. Suddenly, a large metal door opened, sending in blinding light. I covered my eyes and made out the figure to be Berlin. "Hello Reddington." Berlin said.

"Berlin, where the hell am I?" I tried to run up to him, but was restrained by chains and cuffs around my wrists. I was thrown back and forced into a sitting position.

"Just in my underground bunker; it's where I keep prisoners."

"Where's my wife?"

"**Ex**-wife." Berlin corrected.

"Just tell me where she is!" I demanded. "I swear to God if you hurt her, I'll-."

"She's fine… at least for now, anyway." I growled menacingly, my anger rising. "I assure you, as soon as we find your wife, we will kill her and we'll bring back her dismembered head as proof that she's no longer a threat, then, we'll get back to the Strike Force." He came in close and whispered in my ear, "In a matter of hours, you can say goodbye to Elizabeth Keen." I tried to jump up and attack him, when he backed up.

"Why do this now? Why not just kill me and get it over with Berlin? I'm in the same room as you."

"Because I want you to suffer like I did, Raymond; to know the pain of someone you love slaughtered."

"For the last time, I didn't kill your daughter!" I yelled.

"Oh bite me already!" He yelled overtop of me. "Naomi and Elizabeth Keen will die and I'll make sure you're there when they do." He turned and exited the bunker, putting me back in the cold darkness.

* * *

(Liz's POV)

I shot up out of bed, panting. Taking in my surroundings, my breathing slowed; I was in a hospital. _But why?_ I looked on my arm and saw a giant scar running down the side of it. I then remembered what happened: I met Naomi and we were driving somewhere when our car got knocked on its side.

"Glad to see you're up." I heard. I looked to see Red's ex-wife looking at me with concern written on her face.

"You too." I responded, to which she smiled lightly. "Naomi, where are we?"

"New York Presbyterian, I believe."

"What happened?" I asked, hoping to get an answer for what brought me here.

"Car accident; you got a concussion and some nasty scars running down your body, while I got knocked out at the wheel. My airbag deployed, but for some reason, yours didn't."

"I wonder why…" I then heard some arguing outside our room door and turned to it, hearing, "No but I need to see her!"

"Sir, for the last time, calm down and return during visiting hours."

"Please, let me see my wife; I promise I'll be quick. Please just let me…" The panicked man softened his voice, "please, let me see her, please."

The guard said, "Fine, but 5 minutes and make sure no one finds out you came from that room." The door then opened and in stepped Tom.

"Playing the 'aggrieved husband' card?" I asked, arching an eyebrow at him.

"Liz," He said, "surprised to see me?"

"Of course not." I responded, my voice bitter and cold. "After all, who would be surprised to see their supposedly dead husband miraculously survived his injuries."

"I suppose not you." He smiled quaintly. I knew exactly what he was doing; trying to keep me awake. Despite the _blind _rage I was feeling towards this man after all the crap he put me through over the past year, I felt my mind slowly slipping away.

"Why are you here, Tom? Come to get some information from me about Red? If you are, then you're outta luck, I have absolutely no idea where he is."

"But I do." He then saw the other patient in the room with us. "Hey Naomi, long time no see."

"Hi Tom." She smiled back.

"Wait a minute," I said looking back and forth between the two. "You guys know each other?"

"Yeah, we do." Naomi said. "Please don't be mad! It was a long time ago, when I was still involved with Red."

"Oh…" I turned my attention back to the man standing near the door. "So where's Red?"

"I'll tell you… if you can meet my demands."

"State them." I crossed my arms over my chest, reluctantly hearing my husband out. If what Tom says is really true, then we can get Red back and then I can cage this bastard like the criminal he is.

"Demand #1: After this is all over, you hear me out over dinner."

"Who says that when this is all over, you'll even be a free man?" I asked satirically. That sent a light chuckle flying from his lips. "Granted." I said after a moment of thinking. "What else is there?"

"Demand #2: I work with you after this, as an FBI informant."

"That's why we have Reddington."

"But Red's world-renowned. You have a freaking psychopath hunting you guys down, if it wasn't for me, then Berlin would've had you guys decapitated and your heads would be on his mantle above the fireplace as a trophy. While Red can supply the bulk of the information of the Blacklisters, I can be out in the field, getting more information on these people. Look Liz, I know I've done some crappy stuff in the past, even lying to you about where I worked, but-."

"Where you worked?!" I yelled. "You expect me to believe that's _the only thing _you lied to me about? You said you liked me, you _loved _me! We were supposed to be adopting a child, Tom! And you know what the worst part is? I believed every single word you ever told me, I fell head over heels in love with a man without even thinking twice about using my job as an FBI Agent to dig up dirt on him, I was being so stupid that-that I _allowed_ you to get away with everything you did." Naomi walked over and began rubbing circles into my back with one hand, soothing me after my rant.

"Can we get back on task, please?" Tom (if that's even his real name) asked.

"Finish up your demand Thomas." Naomi spoke up.

"Anyway, I know I've done my fair-share of… morally unacceptable things, but I want to atone for what I did to you, the FBI and practically half of the world. Just give me a chance to help you Liz, that's all I've ever wanted to do." I could tell Tom meant what he was saying and when I looked in his eyes, I saw his soul and the crazy thing is it actually looked like the person I fell in love with; for a second, it seemed like Tom was a _real human being_.

"On one condition." I said.

"Name it."

"Tell me who you work for."

"So long as you promise to not try and bring them down, they're providing me information and help me in more ways than one; how else do you think I found Berlin and Red?"

"Deal. Now tell me who it is."

"A secret underground organization called The Chiaroscuro. They gather people from all over the world and assign them to people they either deem extremely valuable or extremely dangerous."

"And which one am I?"

"Both. We don't get many cases like you, but the instant I saw you, I _had _to have you."

"So sweet." I rolled my eyes, absolutely no empathy in my voice. "Now get us out of this hospital, so we can find Red."

"Not before you call Harold and Ressler and tell them about our arrangement." He handed me a burner phone.

I rolled my eyes again, dialing a number as I did so.

* * *

(Ressler's POV)

I was panicking. Liz's been gone for far too long and I haven't been in contact with her since. Aram's been trying to find her, but we haven't been able to get a hit yet. The phone then rang and I practically snatched it.

"Ressler speaking." I said, putting on my "professional" voice and trying to not sound like a emotional wreck.

"Hey Ressler, it's Liz. I'm at New York Presbyterian."

"New York Presbyterian?" I asked. "What are you doing there?

"Just got some scratches, a minor concussion; hey is Harold in the room with you?" She dodged my question.

"Yeah, let me just put the phone on speaker." I pressed a button and said, "You're on speaker Liz."

"Good. Well, I have some news to spill."

"What is it Liz?" Harold asked.

"Remember Tom?" Liz asked.

"Liz, I think this is something you should say in private; saying it over speaker isn't right." Another girl said.

"Does she have any other choice?" Tom's voice asked. My blood started to boil.

"What are you doing there Tom?" I asked, trying not to make my fury show, but worried I failed.

"No need to be so hostile, Ressler. I just came to see my wife, is that so wrong?"

"It's wrong considering what you put her through." I shouted.

"Ressler, that's enough." My boss shut me down. "Continue Liz."

"Say it." Tom urged.

"I'm getting there." Liz said to the impatient man before saying into the receiver. "I know where Red is and I'm going with Tom to get him back, but…"

"But…?" Harold and I asked expectantly, wondering what would follow that.

She then rushed the rest of her sentence before quickly hanging up. "I sorta gave Tom a job as an FBI informant before I could get the info!" The phone clicked off before we could even react and I felt fury rising within me at the prospect of me having to work with two criminals, as if one wasn't enough.

* * *

(Naomi's POV)

Liz quickly hung up the phone and Tom snatched it. He threw it to the ground and stomped on the item, smashing it to pieces. "Come on, we need to get your discharge papers." Tom said. "Get dressed, I'll be back in five." He exited the room, leaving me and Liz alone to make small talk.

"So Liz," I tried my hand at conversation while putting on my jeans, "Red must be really important to you considering you're going to work with Tom to save him."

"All I know is that the instant Raymond Reddington entered my life, it was turned upside down and now it goes every direction except straight. He knows something about my past and I want to find out what it is."

"About what past?" I asked, just trying to see how much Ray told her, if he said anything at all, that is.

"When I was like 3,4, there was a fire at my house and my criminal father got me out of the house. He gave me to Sam Scott, my adoptive father. And that's all I know; Red keeps on saying that he's not my father whenever I ask him, but I'm never sure, I just know he's hiding something else from me."

"So this fire that happened," I decided to try and push my luck, "did Red ever say if there was anyone else in the house? Like, maybe a friend? Cousin? Sister?"

Liz shrugged, "So far as I know, I'm only child."

"And Red never mentioned who this criminal father of yours was? Just that he took you out of the house and gave you to his friend?"

"Never said." Liz and I were both fully clothed by now and Liz was in the bathroom washing her face off._ Liz really knows less than I thought she did. Note to Self: Beat the crap out of Red once the two of us are alone. _"Why do you ask?" Liz asked me, coming out the bathroom and drying her face with a towel. "Do you know something about the fire?"

_Crap! I think I've pushed my luck a little too much. _I stayed silent, forcing Liz to ask again. "Naomi, what do you know?"

"I-I know…" Suddenly the door opened and Tom walked in two pistols in his hands. I breathed a sigh of relief, Tom having saved me from telling Liz; I'm not ready to tell her the truth and I'm pretty sure she isn't ready to hear it either.

"Come on, we gotta move quick; best bet, Berlin's people are already on their way here." Tom said, handing me and Liz both pistols. "I'll drive, you two shoot." He walked to the door and we followed him outside to a black car; the model, I don't know, I'm not good with cars. Tom hopped in the driver's seat and Liz sat next to him in the passenger. I was stuck in the back, but at least from here I could be useful.

"Tom," Liz said.

"Yes?"

"Drop us off at Red's before we go get him, I have something to do there."

"Yes ma'am." Tom then blasted off and we left New York Presbyterian behind us.

* * *

(Ressler's POV)

"I can't believe Liz actually gave Tom a job here!" I vented. "This isn't right."

"I know, but she did what she needed to do to get Red back." Harold tried to rationalize with the logical part of me; as if logic could actually solve this situation.

"You're on board with this?" I stopped pacing and asked the man.

"I…" Aram then came up to us, exclaiming, "I found something and you guys aren't gonna like it."

"What is it?"

He said to Harold. "Remember Don Quiente, he used to work here like 10 years ago, but went MIA."

"Did you find a hit on him?"

"He's in Afghanistan."

"Ressler, you go and deal with Don." Harold ordered of me, heading back to his office.

"And what about Liz and Red?"

"I'll deal with Liz when she gets back, but you just go for Don; the longer we wait, the more likely it is that he'll go off the grid again." His office door closed and I looked at Aram before heading out of the building and to the airport.

* * *

(Liz's POV)

We had just arrived at Red's penthouse and Naomi and I stepped out of the car. Our guns at the ready in case we needed to shoot, we slowly approached the building and walked to the penthouse. I kicked the door down, but saw no one. I relaxed my hands and said, "Alright Naomi, this is where I drop you off."

"Drop me off?" Naomi asked, seemingly shocked by my words.

"Yeah, I'm not bringing you with Tom and I."

"And why the hell not?"

"Because Tom and I can handle ourselves, you can't."

"Says who?"

"Red sure seemed to think that and I do too. Just stay here."

"I'm going with you guys."

"Naomi, stay here. Red put his life on the line to get you back and I'm not gonna risk yours." I grab Naomi's gun and exited the apartment, locking the door behind me. I went back downstairs and hopped back in the passenger seat.

"Where's Naomi?" Tom asked.

"Upstairs, I wasn't going to bring her with us." I answered, putting on my seatbelt.

"You sure you don't want to bring her with us? She can help."

"Tom, just drive the damn car." He looked forward and drove off, bringing us that much closer to Berlin.

* * *

(Red's POV)

The door in my cell opened again and Berlin entered. "Bad news Raymond, we weren't able to find your girls."

"Bad news for you is good news for me." I said.

"That just means they have a few more seconds to live because you know what I'll do once I find them."

"The only reason you're doing this is because you're hurt Berlin; you're in pain because of something I was falsely accused of."

"Of course I'm hurt; how would you feel if you lost your family?" He then sneered. "Then again, I don't have to ask that because I know you know how it feels." I lunged for the man, being snapped back down again.

"Don't you dare bring up my family." I threatened, "Or so help me, I will-."

"You'll what?" Berlin laughed, "You'll get me? You fool, you can't even free yourself."

"She'll find you and she'll find me."

"And what do you think will be the outcome? Will she miraculously shoot a bullet in my head and kill me? Even if she does, this won't end. My death would only be the beginning of a hell you couldn't imagine; one far worse than God's Judgment Day."

"And now you're mocking the Christian community." I said, elevating myself to his height. "But she isn't going to be the one that puts that bullet in your head Berlin, that pleasure's gonna belong to me and me alone."

"Say what you want," Berlin turned away from me, "but you are going to die Raymond and best believe, you're going to suffer long before that brain of yours gets pierced."

"The more you say stuff like that, the more I just want to kill you, ya know that." I mentioned to my warden.

"You may _want_ to kill me, but I know for a fact that you _need _Agent Keen. And that's something that's going to lead to your downfall; your need for her is going to destroy you, I know it."

"Berlin," One of the men from when I got Naomi back said, standing outside the room.

"Yes Jack?" Berlin asked, facing me.

"Agent Keen has arrived."

"Thank you." Berlin turned and said to me, "Looks like your girl's here. I wish I could give one last time to say goodbye to her, but you're all chained up." The man started to laugh, when he was suddenly hit in the back of the head with the butt of a pistol. I looked up to see who it was, when I heard a snap and saw that I was free of my bondage.

"Thank you…" I then saw who my rescuer was. "Naomi?"

"Hey Red."

"You look so different." I looked at the woman, who was in an all black leather bodysuit.

"Yeah, so do you." She then hit me and I saw the anger in her face.

"Love you too sweetie." I said.

"Save the crap Red. I want to know why you didn't tell Liz everything."

"About what? I don't tell her a lot of things."

"The fire. All she knows is that her father saved her and gave her to Sam. Why not tell her the rest of it?"

"Because the man's a psychopath Carla."

"My name is Naomi Hyland now! Carla Reddington died the instant her husband was ousted as a world-renowned criminal. And I'm not just talking about the father Red, you know that."

"You really expect me to tell her about us? The past?"

"If you don't tell, she's gonna come to me."

"Why would she do that? Unless you hinted at her you knew something."

"I was trying to figure out how much you told her; if you told her about the rest of her family, but you didn't even tell who her father was you idiot."

"She would've hunted her family down if she knew the whole story."

"And broken all ties with you because you were there and refused to tell her it all."

"That can't happen, especially now that we have the psycho Berlin on our case; he wants to _kill _her and you, I can't let either one of you die, you're too important."

"Oh how sweet, Raymond Reddington has people he care about in that shriveled little heart of his." Naomi said, her voice lacking empathy.

"Listen Naomi-."

"No Red, you listen to me. Either you tell Liz or I tell her and when I do, I won't hold anything back."

"Not even who her father is and what he's done?"

"Not even that. Now what's your choice?" I looked up and saw Liz's shocked face standing in the doorway, with Tom next to her.

"Naomi, behind you." Naomi looked and saw Liz standing there and knew that she had just busted herself. We then heard a low moan and looked down to see Berlin starting to stir. I grabbed the gun from Naomi and took it off safety, shooting Berlin three times in the head. His body relaxed and a steady pool of started to spill out.

"Let's go." Liz said, trying to hold in the anger she was feeling.

* * *

(Naomi's POV)

"What do you know?" Liz asked me. Liz took me to a secluded cabin in the woods Red and I used when we were still happily married, what a long time ago that was.

"Know?" I played dumb.

"Red refuses to tell me the rest of what happened in that fire…"

"And you want me to help you fill in the blanks. You want me to tell you about the past."

"I know you know Naomi. Just please tell me." She pleaded.

"Fine, I'll tell you, but on one condition: I work as your partner."

"You can't. Ressler's…" We then heard a chime and Liz grabbed her phone. "Agent Keen speaking." Something was said on the other line and Liz's face fell. "Oh…" She said dismayed. "O-okay. Yeah, I'll be fine." She hung up.

"Who was it?"

"The agency. They called to say that Ressler died in the field."

I got up and consoled the woman, who began crying. "I'm so sorry."

"But right before Ressler died, he caught an ex-agent: Don Quiente. The FBI jailed him, but the plane he had coming back from Afghanistan crashed."

"Liz, I'm sorry. I know you cared about him; I know what it's like to lose someone you love."

"He was like a brother to me." The agent wailed. "So, what happened in the fire? What do you know Naomi?"

"I'll tell you later, you need some time to grieve." I picked Liz up and got her out of the cabin, driving her back to the agency; Harold said he needed to see her right away, probably about Tom. I figured I'd take advantage of this moment and told her to pose to Harold the idea of me being her new partner. Naturally, she refused, but after some convincing, I got her to agree to it.

* * *

(Liz's POV)

"Absolutely not." Red and Harold refused at the same time.

"And why not?" I asked, trying to figure out why they wouldn't give Naomi a job here. "She's well-endowed and well credited; she was working with the CIA at some point, so she does have experience."

Red started, "I'm not going to have my wife…"

"Ex-wife…" I corrected him.

"…my ex-wife working in the FBI."

"She practically saved you and killed Berlin." I argued.

"I put the bullet in his head."

"But Naomi freed you so you could kill him."

"Well, you did tell her to stay put at Red's apartment." Harold spoke up.

"Yeah, I did that, but that was before I knew that she was able to kick some serious ass. Give her a chance guys. Red, I will protect her, I know how much she means to you."

"And you too." Red said, hinting at Naomi's unknown importance to me, whatever that was.

"But aside from that, you just lost your partner, you're gonna need time to grieve."

"Yeah and while I'm grieving, you can be putting Naomi through training, although if she remembers stuff that she learned while in the CIA, you can have her start on an assignment with Tom." Red cringed at the sound of his name; he clearly didn't want to be reminded of how Harold agreed to Tom being let in as the second FBI Informant just moments before he arrived. "At least give her a chance. What else do you have to lose?"

"It's not about the FBI Lizzie; it's about what _you_ have to lose. Naomi Hyland is more important to you than you know… or did she tell you already?"

"I'm gonna approach her about it later today because right before she would've told me, I got the call about Ressler." I turned to my boss. "Promise me, you'll let her at least go on a starter mission and then I'll go; you don't want me to be on the job an unstable wreck of a woman, do you? Because I will do it!"

"Liz…"

"Don't make me." I semi-threatened, semi-begged, my voice slightly cracking.

He let out a sigh before saying, "Fine, I'll do it. You go tell Naomi that she better be here by 9 a.m. tomorrow."

"Will do." I stood from my chair and left the office, ready to tell Naomi the good news and probably seek out the answer to my question while I'm there. I closed the door behind me.

* * *

**A.N. Sorry for not focusing this episode on Don Quiente, you guys, but I just had to get the situation with Red and Berlin out of the way. I was also planning on saving Ressler, but I decided "what better opportunity for Naomi to get a job?" So yeah, from next chapter on, the criminals are gonna be the main focus, but look for the stories in the background, they're gonna become critical.**


	2. Dress for Success

_Description: Tom and Naomi try to find the killer of 200 dead humanitarians. Meanwhile, Liz discovers she's being watched._

* * *

(No one's POV)

DALLAS, TEXAS; THE HUMANITARIAN CONVENTION

Several people are walking down the red carpet, one of them being Stephanie Maxwell, the founder of "dress for success", a multibillion company with over 3000 stores worldwide that donates half of their profits to helping impoverished and undereducated children in Africa, walks down the red carpet in a sequin-covered black dress. She enters the building, one of the two doormen looking up into a box that overlooks the conference room. The man nods and two shadowy figures, which can't be seen, countdown from three using their fingers. The doormen take out gas masks and put them over their mouths. A mysterious purple gas is sprayed in the room through a hidden compartment behind the podium and within seconds, everyone begins coughing. They're soon hacking and one by one, they all collapse on the ground, dead.

* * *

(Tom's POV)

I just entered the FBI and walked up to Naomi and Aram. Naomi was looking over some files while saying something to the Muslim. "Morning guys, what ya talking about?" I asked, smiling at them.

"Hey Tom." Naomi said, her nose deep in those files.

I put my hand in front of her face and pulled the papers down just enough so that she'd look my way. "What are you looking at?"

"It's a new case." She picked up the clicker and pressed the button, sliding through the pictures. "200 people were found dead in Dallas, Texas." She pressed the button and a picture of a very attractive redhead in a black-sequined dress shows up on screen. "Stephanie Maxwell was among the victims. Popular, a multibillionaire and a humanitarian, she gave to numerous donations and founded several of her own. Last night, she and a ton of others were found passed out on the floor at the humanitarian convention. There was an 8 hour gap in between the time the humanitarians died and the janitor came to clean the room. They were announced dead on the scene."

"Do we know what killed them?"

"Some type of poison. No blood was seen and there were no head wounds that would correlate to bludgeoning."

"No marks of any kind?"

"None." Aram spoke up. "We sent our medical examiner 2 hours ago and he's confirmed that it was a gas of some kind that killed them. No marks, no crushed windpipes, etc, etc."

"Can you find anything through your networks?" Naomi turned to me.

"I'll see what I can do, but I'm gonna need more information than just it was a gas. Could've been Carbon Monoxide, Carbon Dioxide, anything."

"That's all we got, Tom."

"I'll be back soon, meanwhile, you see if you can talk to the families of the victims, see why someone would want them dead. Aram, check the security cameras, see if you can find anything unusual."

"Already on it." Aram said, rapidly typing away at his keyboard.

I started to exit, when I stopped and turned back to Naomi. "And how's Liz doing?"

"She's still grieving, but she's really starting to open up a bit." Naomi answered.

"Glad to hear it." Joy fluttered once I heard Liz was doing fine considering everything she's been through; seeing me and Ressler's death probably really rocked her to her core. "Did-did she mention me at all?"

"You came up in conversation a couple times, but nothing too heavy. Now go, get the information."

"Alright, I'm going, I'm going." I said, turning back around and exiting the building.

…

I stopped at a gate and looked around. Seeing no one, I turned back to it and looked into the iris recognition scanner. I was scanned and spoke into the voice recognizer right below it, "Thomas Keen." The floor dropped from under me and I slid down the tube, landing underground within seconds.

"What brings you back here, Keen?" Mayer asked me. "Your wife finally kick you out?"

"Keep talking Nat." I walked up to my ally. "Where's Jonah?"

"The boss is in a meeting. I wouldn't suggest bothering him. Why? What happened?"

"The FBI got a new case and I was sent here to get some information."

"What do you want to know?"

"Know anything about a gas that mysteriously kills 200 people?"

"What kind of gas we talking here? Could be Carbon Monox-."

"Yeah, I already went through the usual suspects, but I don't know. All we know is 200 humanitarians were killed at the convention last night by a mysterious gas. No sign of any other foul play."

"Couldn't it have just been fire?"

"Probably not because the janitor that found the bodies reported nothing in the room was burnt; they were just dead on the floor and he had no idea why."

"Sounds to me like you have a mystery on your hands."

"Yeah, now all I need is a minivan, a scaredy-cat dog, some 70s clothes, a theme song, teenagers to help me out, a couple of villains that say 'If it wasn't for you meddling kids' and I'll be ready to go."

"I'll pitch it to the boss when he's done. You just find out more about our mystery perp."

"Got it." I turned around and walked to the far right corner of the room. I stood stiffly right before the floor dropped from under me.

* * *

(Naomi's POV)

I was currently at the home of Sophia Maxwell, Stephanie's mother. I was in the quaint living room, drinking some tea. Sophia entered holding a black and white picture of Stephanie that was taken a month before her death. "Stephanie was a good person. She had no enemies as far as I knew."

"You can't think of anyone who'd like your daughter dead? Anything that could give me any leads in solving the case?"

"Well, there is one person who didn't like Stephanie."

"Who?"

…

"Daniel Waterlodge," I pulled up the 39 year old man's picture, "Stephanie's ex-boyfriend that she dumped two weeks prior. He's the CEO of a major financing company in Sacramento: Harding Industries. The fact that she dumped him opens the door for him to want to seek revenge."

"Yeah, but why the other 199?" I spoke up. "It doesn't make sense for 200 people to die when just 1 person was the intended target."

I turned to Aram. "Aram, how long do you think it would take to get Waterlodge here?"

"4 at the most. Why?" He responded.

"Get him here and in a meeting with one of our profilers, meanwhile, you cross-reference every single open case in which the victim died from drugs and smoke inhalation. Take out fires and the suicides; homicides are what we need now. If you find any unidentified substances, send the report to Tom and we'll take it from there." I then began to exit.

"Right."

"Wait, where are you going?" Tom questioned.

"Ms. Keen requests to see me." I answered, not stopping.

…

"Hey Liz, it's Naomi." I said, knocking on the door.

"Hey." The redhead turned to me. She at least looked good, but best bet, she was crying inside. She was wearing some Christmas pajamas. "Come in." I entered the dingy little motel room she was staying in during her… separation from Tom.

"You know, you don't have to live here. You could always move in with me. After all, that's probably the best option since this place is so insanitary and we are partners."

"You got an apartment in Washington?"

"No apartment, but I do have a condo. Yeah, it costs 10, 000 and I could never afford that money, but it's a really nice place."

"Who paid for it?"

"Ray." I looked down, instantly reminded of what I told Red I'd do if he didn't tell her. I mean, Liz deserves to know, but then again, now's not the right time… but if I don't do it now, will I ever find the time to spill it? I know Red won't, so I have to; not just have to, I _want_ to! I want to tell her so badly that…

"What's wrong?" Liz must've noticed my face. "Look, if you're worried about me, then…"

"No, no. It's something else. Not like I'm not worried about you; I mean, you saw your husband who you thought were dead and Ressler's…" I trailed off, not sure if I should say the word.

"It's okay Naomi, you can say it. Ressler's dead, but he died a hero." Liz looked me deep in my eyes. "Now, what's wrong?"

"It's about the fire." I admitted. "About the things that I know, the things you want to know. Problem is, I'm not sure if I should tell you or not?"

"Do you think I'm ready to hear it?"

"No, considering the hellish week you've had, but if I don't tell you soon, I never will. I know that about myself. Two weeks and any hope of you knowing about that fire is gone, bet on it."

"Just tell me."

"No, I can't. You're still grieving and this is going to set you over the-."

"Naomi, just tell me about the fire. I'm always going to grieve, but I'm not going to let it control my life. I might be ready for it, I might not. The only way we can find out is if you tell me what you know."

"I don't want to take that risk, Lizzie."

"Only Red calls me that."

"Now it's me and Red." My phone vibrated and I grabbed it, seeing a text from Tom. "Gotta go. Just found a lead in the case." I said, while exiting the disgusting one bedroom apartment.

"What case?" Liz ran after me.

"The tale of 200 dead humanitarians." I answered, closing the door behind me. I didn't hear it reopen as I went to my car, so I just assume that Liz must not have decided to come with. I'm both glad and disappointed by that; glad because I don't think I would've been able to keep it in if she was with me and because she might not be ready to go back to work, yet I'm also disappointed because maybe she's right. Maybe the best way to grieve is to just try and move on.

…

"Tell us what you know, Dan!" I demanded of the captive man. Daniel was pretty handsome, what with his sandy blonde hair, green eyes and chiseled features. If he wasn't a cold blooded killer, I'd probably ask him out or something, who knows?

"For the last time, I know nothing! I was at home on the night you're referring to and I live all the way in Sacramento. Check the airline records and see if I got a ticket; you'll see I didn't."

"He's not lying…" The profiler, Patience, said. "about that anyway. He's hiding something, but what can it be?"

"Whatcha hiding Danny boy? We know it's something. Might as well spill it."

"Okay, I may have been in Dallas with Steph the night before the convention…" I gave Waterlodge a look; he was starting to look real guilty right about now. "but I _didn't _go with her."

"You didn't have to. You could've just sent someone to do your dirty work for you."

"Wait Naomi, hear him out." Tom spoke up. I could see his gears were spinning. "Why'd you and Naomi break up?"

"We've always been breaking up, ever since high school. That was the 5th time, I believe, but we always just got back together like a week or so after the break up."

"Any kids?"

"We were expecting."

"So why'd you and her break up?"

"She said her mom didn't approve of us dating, which is weird because she was always my goodwill ambassador. Whenever I did something wrong, she vouched for me. I don't get why she'd break it off like that."

"Did she have any enemies? I mean, you are the one closest to her."

"Oh she had tons of people that envied her. She was once given food poisoning by a co-worker who hated how 'lavish her life was'. She never told her mom any of this though, didn't want her to worry; she a fragile woman, ya know."

"After the food poisoning, did it escalate any further? Probably to the point where the police had to get involved?"

"Not that I know."

"He's not lying."

"I think I know how to figure this out. You're free to go."

"Thank you." Daniel stood and exited. I turned to Thomas.

"Where to?"

"Mommy Dearest."

...

Sophia answered the door and seemed surprised when she saw me and Tom standing there. "I told you I didn't know anything."

"I asked if you knew anyone willing to hurt your daughter."

"And I told you Daniel."

"Waterlodge is innocent." Tom held up the polygraph results. "Now why'd you say Stephanie shouldn't have gotten back together with him when they were expecting?"

"He's a lying cheating man and he deserves to go to jail!" Stephanie yelled.

"So you had a hand in your daughter's death?"

"I didn't mean for Stephanie to die. She told me that she was leaving and then I told the assassins to kill everyone else in the room. I just wanted Daniel to go to jail for what he did."

"What did he do?" I asked, now intrigued as to the woman's motives for murder.

"In addition to being the CEO of a finance company, he also moonlights as a basketball coach. Stephanie wanted him to pick him up one day from practice, but I had to go instead because Stephanie was busy. So I went to pick him up and when I went in the locker room, I saw him and one of his players... together."

"He's a child molester?!" I all but screamed, utterly shocked that he'd do that. I mean, granted I didn't know him, but I saw the good in him, I assumed he wouldn't do anything cruel and evil, much less on a child.

"So now you see why i did what I did?" She then began to cry. "I just wish I could've told Stephanie, but she loves him and if I told her, she would've blamed me and we would've drifted apart and... and..."

"Ssh." Tom consoled in a fatherly voice. "It's okay. A mother's job is to protect her child and you did it for the right reason, just went the wrong way about doing it. We'll put Daniel in jail for you, I swear..." He then said, keeping his eyes down to the ground, "Unfortunately, you'll have to go to."

"I understand." Sophia nodded, solemnly.

"Come on." Tom and I took her to the car.

* * *

(Liz's POV)

I sat near the phone in my dingy little apartment, just hoping Naomi'd call. It's killing me to sit on the sidelines while she's out in the field with the secret of my past. I let out a disgruntled scream, shooting up instantly. There was then a blip and something caught my eye in the corner. I slowly approached the hidden device and saw what it was: a camera. Someone's watching me again! I need to get out of here, but where do I go? _"You know, you don't have to live here. You could always move in with me. After all, that's probably the best option since this place is so insanitary and we are partners."_

I picked up the phone and dialed Naomi's number. She picked up and I said, "Naomi, get home ASAP! I'm moving in."


	3. The Abowitchionists (No 336)

_Description: A group seeking to reignite the Salem Witch Trials searches for targets in Washington; Liz goes back to work; the secret of the fire is revealed._

(No One's POV)

GEORGETOWN, TEXAS; BOILING ROOM

A man's holding a wrench in his hand and is twisting it on a pipe. He stands, wiping the sweat off his forehead. "Okay, Leroy, I fixed it. I'm heading back up." He spoke into a walkie-talkie. He began to exit. There's a shadow of a person up in the corner. The person jumps down and it's a blonde woman. She hits the mechanic over the head with a wrench. He falls to the steel floor, bleeding out. "Witch!" The woman screamed.

* * *

(Liz's POV)

"Thanks for letting me move in, Naomi." I indebted as I carried my box into the condo. Several boxes of mine lie in a room down the hall. Standing in the middle of the living room, I looked around at the place I'd now be living in. It looked like the Halliwell Manor from _Charmed_, except no book of shadows… or was that up in the attic?

"No problem, Lizzie. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask me, okay? I'm gonna go put you on the lease, okay? Tom's down in the truck and Red should be on his way in case you need anything."

"Okay." Naomi exited and left me alone to the house. I took a heavy sigh before putting the last box down in my room. I plopped down on the bed and looked at all the work I had ahead of me. God I hate moving; the unpacking alone is enough to kill you, but I was being watched—not the first time, I might add—and I can't have that happen. "These boxes won't unpack themselves." I heard a voice say. I turned to see Tom standing in the doorway. "Mind if I help you get settled in?"

I smiled. "Not at all."

…

I lie down on the bed, after hours of unpacking. Things finally looked good in here; thankfully Tom was here to help, otherwise I would've been working well into the night. "Thanks."

"No problem." He then checked his watch. "9:00. Let's go."

"Go?" I stood. "Where?"

"Dinner. Remember, that was one of my requirements for helping you track Berlin."

"Where are we going?"

"Only the fanciest restaurant in town: Che Défier."

"Ooh. How'd you manage to get a reservation there?"

Tom shrugged, "I have a few connections. So, are you coming? I want to get a chance to let you know me… the _real _me."

"What time do we have to be there?"

"9:45. It's a 20 minute drive, provided we don't hop on the Highway to Hell and traffic lets us through."

"Give me a minute to get dressed." I grabbed a red and black dress from out of my closet and headed to the bathroom. Quickly applying a coat of red lipstick and make-up, I donned my red dress and put her hair up. My black heels followed instantly and I emerged from the bathroom, ready for my dinner date. Tom was already in a suit; he always was a fast changer.

"You look stunning." He marveled at the sight of me. "Ready to go?"

"Let's go." We headed out of the apartment and for Che Défier.

…

We had just sat down and I sipped my champagne before asking. "So Tom, why'd you bring me out here again?"

"To start over. Now, let's just start from the beginning. So Liz, what do you do?"

"I'm a FBI Agent. And you are…?"

"Federal Agent. My agency's underground though. How long you been with the FBI?"

"Two years. Where'd you graduate college?"

"Yale, top 3, class of 2003."

"Okay, look, Tom, this is ridiculous. We can't just bury the hatchet and act like what happened between us didn't happen. We just can't. You lied."

"But I'm trying to change. Be a better person, save us."

"But acting like we never existed won't change that. It won't change the fact that we were married, that we were planning to adopt, that we fought. None of that is going to change, Tom."

"Then what do we do?"

"Move on."

"I can't do that Liz. I've never stopped loving you."

I sighed. "More champagne, please?" I said to a passing waiter. I took a drink, even if to only break the tension.

* * *

(Red's POV)

I had just walked up to Naomi, a manila envelope in my hand. I dropped the file on her desk and she looked up at me before opening it. "New case?"

"Old case, actually. Just being revisited. A man was murdered last night by a terrorist group known as The Abowitchionists. Their goal: revive the Salem Witch Trials. They try and recruit people from all over, but they mainly stick to insane asylums; the mentally unstable are always more prone to murder. Especially those who suffered trauma in childhood."

"We shouldn't bring this to Liz."

"Liz is back at work?"

"Yeah. She's talking with Cooper, but we can't do this case; for Liz's sake. You know she suffered trauma, after all, we were-."

"Hey Nao." Liz walked up behind me. "What's that? A new case?" She reached in and Naomi retracted.

"Nope, nothing. But um, we actually did get a new case. Why not talk to Aram about it? We could really use your help on it. It could be a good transition."

"Okay. Be right back." Liz walked off and I looked at Naomi.

"That could've gone smoother."

"Like you could've done any better!" She snapped. "Now, you can't bring this case to us."

"You're right, I can't. I _must_. I've gotten word that they're heading to D.C. and we need to stop them from getting anymore recruits. They've gotten more dangerous in the past couple weeks and we need to put a stop to them."

"Bring this case to Tom. Let The Chiaroscuro deal with this."

"I would, but no one on The Chiaroscuro's radar is on the Abowitchionists' list. You need to stop them, now."

"But, Liz…"

"What's more important? Liz's safety or the safety of America?"

"Pulling the 'America' card? That's low."

"Have I ever lied to you before?"

"No." She grumbled.

"We'll stay in touch." I walked away from Naomi and bumped into Liz on the way, who was heading back to Naomi's desk. "Liz, so glad to see you're back at work."

"Red, we need to talk."

…

We had just sat down on the couch in the condo I bought for Naomi and Liz; I knew Liz would eventually move in, she just needed a push. "What do you know about my past?" She asked. "Please tell me. Naomi isn't saying anything and you're my only lead on this."

"That's for Naomi to disclose, not me. But I have something for you. Consider it a welcome back gift." I pulled out a duplicate of the case folder I gave Naomi.

"Terrorist group? Heading to D.C. to look for members? Red, why didn't you show this to Naomi?"

"I did, but she didn't want to take it on. She didn't really feel comfortable with you being on the case with her."

"Why not?"

"It involves your past; it was truly a traumatic experience Lizzie."

"So you were there? Is that why you've been so involved in my life? Because of my childhood?"

"The reason I'm so involved in your life goes far deeper than some tragic upbringing, but that's not the point. I want you to take on this case, to stop these Abowitchionists before they have a chance to get anyone else."

"Aren't you worried I'll be one of the first people they try to recruit because of my 'traumatic past'?"

"But you won't be alone. Naomi, Tom and I will be with you the whole way if you get in too deep, although I doubt that. Will you take it?"

"Alright, I'll take on the case. I'm gonna head back to the agency and tell Naomi about it."


End file.
